Return Of The Condor

** Actor James Woods arrives at the CBS TCA party held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday, July 15, 2006. Count James Woods among movie actors who'll be starring on the small screen this fall. In "Shark" on CBS, Woods plays Sebastian Stark, a supremely confident defense attorney who brings his cutthroat tactics to the prosecutor's office. (AP Photo/Lucas Jackson)

In early spring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released three California condors into the wild at the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County west of Los Angeles. CBS News Sunday Morning Anchor Charles Osgood reports on the turnaround in condor fortunes.In 1986, the condor was so close to extinction that the government captured 27 of the huge birds, fearing that otherwise there soon would be none left at all.

In the years of protection that followed, the population gradually grew, thanks in no small part to a condor who goes by the endearing name of Adult Condor No. 8, or AC-8. Though the condor's prospects for a long time were dicey, AC managed to produce nine chicks who survived to maturity.

After years of effort, the known condor population soared back up to 155, and it was considered safe to let AC-8 back into the wilds again.

So forget all those legends about the phoenix. This time it was the turn of the California condor to survive extinction and fly high again.